July 2012

An oft-voiced sentiment in HIT discussions is that there is a need for better EHRs. Few seem to disagree with this sentiment, but, as with many things, creating better EHRs is easier said than done. After all, vendors are not deliberately trying to create less-than-ideal products. Rather, I think that anyone who has tried to […]

Pick one: EHRs lower costs/ EHRs do not lower costs; EHRs improve quality/ EHRs do not improve quality. Each position has its proponents, and anyone who keeps up with happenings in the healthcare arena will invariably run into one of these positions. Precepts from logic can help in explaining the disparity in viewpoints between the […]

Regardless of the domain, a reasonable approach to solving a problem begins by determining if a solution already exists. In other words, don’t reinvent the wheel. In software development, this idea is an accepted way of doing business as evidenced by code libraries, algorithm manuals, and things such as user interface components. Software design patterns […]

XML is everywhere—data exchange, configuration files, web services, electronic documents–everywhere. Its ubiquity is well-earned because it addresses, quite well, the problem of sharing data between disparate computer systems. Released in 1998 as a WC3 recommendation, XML is an acronym for eXtensible Markup Language. Actually, XML refers to a family of technologies that provide extremely powerful […]

Well, it has been a tad more than nine months since the first post and things are moving along nicely. Those geek/programmer/clinicians that I hoped to connect with are dropping by regularly. Of course, the more the merrier! Please, continue to send comments, suggestions, and tech tips, they are very much appreciated. I am amazed […]